The present invention concerns apparatus for detecting the presence of a particular animal and for triggering devices adapted to repel or frighten the animal. More particularly, the present invention concerns an electronic animal repellant apparatus that is capable of distinguishing the sound of a particular species of animal from ambient environmental conditions.
Possibly the earliest form of animal repellant apparatus is the traditional scarecrow. Other later devices have utilized the same principle of providing an image that naturally repels birds and other animals. However, as the animals became accustomed to the presence of the scarecrow repellant apparatus, it became increasingly less effective at performing its appointed function. Consequently, those in the art have turned to devices that detect the presence of animals within the vicinity of an area to be protected, and that actuate a single repellant device, such as a loud blast, or some visual display designed to evoke panic or fear in the animal to be repelled. Other animal repellant apparatus of the prior art rely upon periodic generation of noises or sounds that have a tendency to frighten animals.
However, there remains a need for a device which detects the presence of the offending animal species, and then triggers the operation of a variety of different repellant devices in a random fashion to prevent the offending animals from becoming accustomed to the repellant apparatus. In addition, there is also a need for such a device that requires little human intervention for its operation and that is actuated only as often as necessary to perform its animal repellant function.